Mormon Priest Threatened with Excommunication in Marriage Row

Edge, Boston/September 22, 2008

By Kilian Melloy

A Hastings, Nebraska Mormon man has been threatened with
excommunication by his bishop for working against an anti-gay
amendment in Calif.

This past summer, the leadership of the Mormon church has instructed
its membership to support Proposition 8, the ballot initiative in
Calif. that, if approved in Nov., will rescind marriage parity for gay
and lesbian families.

Also this past summer, the church published a new document that
clarified the church's stance on marriage for gay and lesbain
families, as reported at EDGE.

The new document was seen by some as a reversal of the church's
earlier opposition to all forms of recognition for gay and lesbian
families, because it included language supportive of existing domestic
partnership laws in Calif., while condemning marriage equality.

Andrew Callahan, who says that he is "a high priest in good standing"
in the Mormon church, contacted the media by means of an email, dated
Sept. 21, in which Hastings claimed that his efforts to counter the
Mormon leadership's instruction had included co-creating a Web site
"where Mormons, former Mormons, and friends of the Mormon Church could
write letters and post them online to state their opposition to the
Mormon Church's political stance."

The result, Callahan said, was a visit from his bishop that amounted
to a threat of excommunication from the Mormons.

Callahan recounted, "In late June the leadership of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... issued a letter to its members in
California encouraging them to support Proposition 8, an amendment to
the California constitution that will eliminate the right of same sex
couples to marry.

"The letter asked members to do all they could to support the proposed
constitutional amendment by donating both money and time."

Continued Callahan, "Although I'm a resident of Hastings, Nebraska,
not California, I almost immediately began trying to get the Mormon
Church to change its position on the issue.

"This just reminded me so much of the racial bigotry that Mormon
leaders have historically been so famous for.

"Our past leaders insisted that racial bigotry against blacks was
God's divine idea," Callahan continued, adding, "now current ones are
promoting this same kind of bigoted nonsense about gays and lesbians."

Stated Callahan, "I'm a Mormon high priest in good standing and have
served in many local leadership positions in my more than 20 years in
the Mormon Church."

In that capacity, Callahan not only helped to create the Web site
where pro-marriage equality Mormons could speak out, he "also wrote
hundreds of letters to middle level church leaders stating this
opposition to the plan put forth by top leadership in the Mormon
Church, and invited the middle level leaders to join with me in that
opposition."

The church's leadership seemingly took note of Callahan's efforts;
claimed Callahan, "On August 18, the Mormon Church headquarters in
Salt Lake City disseminated a 'Notice' to virtually all of the Mormon
ecclesiastical leaders in the United States, directing them to
'disregard' communications from me.

"The Notice also directed that the lay membership of the Church be
told to disregard me."

Nonetheless, Callahan recounted, "I continued my efforts, contacting
lay members directly in several states, and also starting a petition
online that asks the Mormon Church to immediately discontinue its
political organizing activities and financial support of the
California amendment."

Callahan's continued efforts on behalf of preserving marriage equality
seemingly led to a visit from his bishop.

"On September 11, 2008, my bishop, Bryan Woodbury of Clay Center,
Nebraska visited me stating that he was there by assignment of higher
authorities in the church," Callahan recounted.

"Bishop Woodbury offered me a chance to resign my membership in the
Mormon Church, and when I declined, the bishop stated that there would
be disciplinary action and that my membership in the Mormon Church was
'not mandatory.'

"Bishop Woodbury indicated that he would be back 'pretty quick' with a
letter from the next higher level ecclesiastical leader," Callahan
continued.

"This was clearly a threat of excommunication, because bishops have
full authority to discipline high priests in the Mormon Church with
every form of church discipline except excommunication, which must be
done at the next higher level."

Continued Callahan, "Bishop Woodbury stated that the reasons for the
excommunication would be that I am 'going in a different direction'
from the church, and I am in 'opposition' to the Mormon Church."

Added Callahan, "The bishop gave the analogy that if I were a member
of a gay and lesbian organization and collected signatures on a
petition supporting Proposition 8, that organization would probably
kick me out, and suggested that the Mormon Church was about to do that
to me now."

As reported by various media, including a Sept. 20 article by The Wall
Street Journal, the instructions issued by the Mormon leadership for
its members to support the ballot initiative seem to have had a
discernable effect.

The Wall Street Journal article said that of the nearly $15 and a half
million that have come pouring into the effort by the state's marriage
equality opponents, more than a third have been contributions by
Mormons.

The article said that figure came from the campaign manager of the
anti-gay-family group ProtectMarriage.org, Frank Schubert, along with
other sources, including an organization that keeps tables on finances
reckoning the Mormons' contributions might be even higher--perhaps
more than 40 percent of the total.

Campaign consultant for pro-marriage equality group No on 8, Equality
for All, Steve Smith, was quoted in the article as saying, "all of a
sudden, in the last few weeks, [the anti-marriage side] are outraising
us, and it appears to be Mormon money."

The group trying to preserve the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian
families has collected about $13 million, the article said.

Though the leadership of the Mormon church had phrased support for the
anti-gay amendment as "a matter of conscience" in urging its
membership to contribute, some local church officials reportedly had
told Mormons that it would endanger their souls not to give.

The Wall Street Journal cited the church's top leadership as saying
that was not consistent with the church's official position.

The article indicated that the Mormon leadership's instruction to its
members to "do all you can" in support of the anti-gay amendment may
be due to the fact that if Calif.'s legalization of marriage equality
weathers the challenge at the polls, marriage equality in other states
may pick up momentum.

Recent polls nationwide have indicated that in the last four years,
since the 2004 election in which marriage equality was a hot-button
issue used to energize conservative voters, opposition to gay families
solemnizing their ties has dwindled.

More locally, polls in Calif. Show a 14 percent margin of voters
opposing the revocation of the right to marry, the article said.

But the issue has drawn huge amounts of money from around the country
to benefit both sides. Anti-gay Catholic lay organization the Knights
of Columbus contributed $1 million; the anti-gay group Focus on the
Family has chipped in nearly a half a million dollars.

Pro-marriage leaders have warned that even though the polls show that
marriage equality is leading, the outcome could be very different,
both because there may be a large number of voters who are as yet
undecided, and also because precedent has shown that even when a
majority of voters say they are supportive of marriage rights for gay
and lesbian families, once they in the voting booth, a significant
percentage who polled as supportive of marriage tend to vote against
the rights of gay families.

The issue of Mormons involvement in the issue is especially relevant
to the tenets of Mormon faith, the article reported, citing a
University of Richmond professor of literature and religion.

Prof. Terryl Givens explained that Mormons believe that families
continue into eternity, with spouses continuing to procreate even
after death.

Heterosexual marriage is also believed by Mormons to be a prerequisite
to attain the highest level of bliss in the spiritual world.

The article quoted givens as saying, "This all explains the Mormon
difficulty with homosexuality," adding, that in this framework of
faith, "same-sex attraction doesn't find a place."

The article noted that it is unusual for the Mormon church to involve
itself so directly in political matters.

One other notable exception was the church's official oposition to the
Equal Rights Amendment three decdades ago.

Kilian Melloy reviews media, conducts interviews, and writes
commentary for EDGEBoston, where he also serves as Assistant Arts
Editor.

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